Public sentiment is sharply divided, with significant support for Harvard amidst criticisms of its funding dependency. Strong opposition to the Trump administration's actions reflects frustrations over government overreach in educational funding and concerns regarding academic freedom, generating a contentious atmosphere around taxpayer money and university entitlements.

Trump Administration

Harvard University

The linked source has opted to use a paywall to restrict free viewership of their content. As alternate sources become available, please post them as a reply to this comment. Users with a Boston Public Library card can often view unrestricted articles [here](https://www.bpl.org/resources-types/newspapers/).

Boston Globe articles are still permissible as it's a soft-paywall. Please refrain from reporting as a Rule 5 violation. Please also note that copying and posting the entire article text as comments is not permissible.

*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/boston) if you have any questions or concerns.*

AutoModerator

From [Globe.com](http://Globe.com)

Harvard University will appear in federal court Monday to make the case that the Trump administration illegally cut $2.6 billion from the storied college — a pivotal moment in its battle against the federal government.

If U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs decides in the university’s favor, the ruling would reverse a series of funding freezes that later became outright cuts as the Trump administration escalated its fight with the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university. Such a ruling, if it stands, would revive Harvard’s sprawling scientific and medical research operation and hundreds of projects that lost federal money.

“This case involves the Government’s efforts to use the withholding of federal funding as leverage to gain control of academic decisionmaking at Harvard,” the university said in its complaint. “All told, the tradeoff put to Harvard and other universities is clear: Allow the Government to micromanage your academic institution or jeopardize the institution’s ability to pursue medical breakthroughs, scientific discoveries, and innovative solutions.”

A second lawsuit over the cuts filed by the American Association of University Professors and its Harvard faculty chapter has been consolidated with the university’s.

Harvard’s lawsuit accuses President Donald Trump’s administration of waging a retaliation campaign against the university after it rejected a series of demands in an April 11 letter from a federal antisemitism task force.

The letter demanded sweeping changes related to campus protests, academics and admissions. For example, the letter told Harvard to audit the viewpoints of students and faculty and admit more students or hire new professors if the campus was found to lack diverse points of view. The letter was meant to address government accusations that the university had become a hotbed of liberalism and tolerated anti-Jewish harassment on campus.

Harvard President Alan Garber pledged to fight antisemitism but said no government “should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.”

The same day Harvard rejected the demands, Trump officials moved to freeze $2.2 billion in research grants. Education Secretary Linda McMahon declared in May that Harvard would no longer be eligible for new grants, and weeks later the administration began canceling contracts with Harvard.

bostonglobe

The American people need to put their foot down with the Trump administration and his impoundment of money that was already allocated by Congress. It's not just the research funding that's been held (disappeared?). It's the Public Broadcasting funds, the USAID money, Job Corps, child care provided through Boys and Girls Clubs, the YMCA and other organizations, adult education, and so much more. 

We payed the taxes, our elected representatives decided on a buget, and then Trump just stole the money. Not OK.

SharpCookie232

Its insane that the court hasn't ruled against these cuts on separation of powers grounds.

LionBig1760

Its just ironic. “Make America great again” but they instantly moved to handicapping the most renowned university in America when America has fallen far behind China. Not that the best research only comes from Harvard by any means, but id imagine you’d want them helping out..

ZzeroBeat

Well then they need to hope that Trumpian corruption hasn’t already swallowed the judge.

ChanceTheGardenerrr

I think this administration's actions should make it clear that it's high time that universities started seeking out non-government funding for their research. Some universities have pretty clearly engaged in partisan rhetoric and this is an unfair result of that, but a result nonetheless.

Ndlburner

Truly esrth-shattering reporting. I would never have guessed that Harvard wanted $2.6B. Certainly I never would.

Delli-paper

Harvard: "I have $50 billion in the bank, made $6 billion last year, and I don't pay any taxes. I still need $2.6 billion extra in tax payer money"

Boston tax payers taxed to hell and barely able to afford rent: "Sounds good to me!"

jucestain

Harvard is going to lose.  If they cannot understand why, then they should do some deep reflections and try to understand what is obvious to most.

Quirky_Butterfly_946

All new posts must have a brief statement from the user submitting explaining how their post relates to law or the courts in a response to this comment. **FAILURE TO PROVIDE A BRIEF RESPONSE MAY RESULT IN REMOVAL.**

*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/law) if you have any questions or concerns.*

There has to be a rational connection between the government's interest {preventing anti-semitism) and the means its using to achieve it--cancelling research grants. No such connection to be found here.

Fluffy-Load1810

Hey r/law, Nikol from USA TODAY here. Harvard University urged a federal judge to order the Trump administration to restore about $2.5 billion in canceled federal grants and cease efforts to cut off research funding to the prestigious Ivy League school.

But a lawyer for the Trump administration told the judge the canceled grants reflect a government priority not to send money to institutions that practice antisemitism.

"Harvard prioritized campus protesters over cancer research," said Michael Velchik, a senior lawyer at the U.S. Justice Department. He told the judge she shouldn't be hearing the case in the first place, arguing the matter belonged in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, which handles monetary disputes.

**Read more about the court hearing that lasted more than two hours, but ended without a ruling:** [**https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/07/21/harvard-trump-court-research-funding/85309691007/**](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/07/21/harvard-trump-court-research-funding/85309691007/)

usatoday

Hello AromaticLook3178!
Want more good news?
We now have a brand new Discord server where you can connect with fellow members, share positivity, and stay updated on all things 
good news! Join us [Here](https://discord.gg/HdXdne6mR8)
Feel free to tell us if you have any concerns or feedback regarding the Subreddit! We are open to all ideas!
**Friendly Reminder to Follow rules and guidelines!**

*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/goodnews) if you have any questions or concerns.*

Forbisa.com? Are we just making up websites now? 

downvotemagnet69_420

He is a terrorist, completely unfit to serve and a danger to this country.

Soft-Abbreviations20

What does it matter? He'll just appeal it to the Supreme Court, where conservatives are his personal legal lapdogs. He'll let him do whatever.

Litzz11

Q: How many Trump supporters does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

A: None. All Trump supporters are ignorant lazy worthless trash so they just sit in the dark and blame immigrants.

HotHamWater_69_420

[FBI EPSTEIN COVER UP](https://www.muellershewrote.com/p/the-epstein-cover-up-at-the-fbi?utm_campaign=post&amp;utm_medium=web)

LuluMcGu

Distraction!
Eps 
Here are all of the Epstein Files that have either been leaked or released.

https://joshwho.net/EpsteinList/gov.uscourts.nysd.447706.1320.0-combined.pdf (verified court documents)

https://joshwho.net/EpsteinList/black-book-unredacted.pdf (verified pre-Bondi) Trump is on page 85, or pdf pg. 80

Trump’s name is circled. The circled individuals are the ones involved in the trafficking ring according to the person who originally released the book.  These people would be “The List “ Here is the story.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsiKUXrlcac

Here's the flight logs https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21165424-epstein-flight-logs-released-in-usa-vs-maxwell/

—————————other Epstein Information

https://cdn.factcheck.org/UploadedFiles/Johnson_TrumpEpstein_Calif_Lawsuit.pdf here’s a court doc of Epstein and Trump raping a 13 yr old together.

Some people think this claim is a hoax.  Here is Katies testimony on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnib-OORRRo

Jeffrey Epstein’s Ex Says He Boasted About Being a Mossad Agent https://share.google/jLMGahKlCzfV1RHZq Jeffrey Epstein and Israel both have the same lawyer Alan Dershowitz, Dershowitz says he's building 'legal dream team' to defend Israel in court and on international stage | The Times of Israel https://share.google/Lb9hDOduBWG4Elpid

—————————other Trump information:

Here's trump admitting to peeping on 14-15 year old girls at around 1:40 on the Howard Stern Radio Show: https://youtu.be/iFaQL_kv_QY?si=vBs75kaxPjJJThka

Trump's promise to his daughter: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/donald-trump-ivanka-trump-dating-promise_n_57ee98cbe4b024a52d2ead02 “I have a deal with her. She’s 17 and doing great ― Ivanka. She made me promise, swear to her that I would never date a girl younger than her,” Trump said. “So as she grows older, the field is getting very limited.”

Trump's modeling agency was probably part of Jeffreys pipeline: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/08/donald-trump-model-management-illegal-immigration/

Mar-A-Lago was used to traffic girls and Trump probably had a girl killed: https://youtube.com/shorts/99PPUDbfPlw?si=yjd78LKkcG4Ew7P3

kinopiokun

Just remove all federal funding for Harvard and limit it to only public universities

BC2H

Is This Post Good News? Please Vote! 
---

If so, **upvote this comment!** (5 upvotes to be considered good news)

Otherwise, **downvote this comment!** (-5 downvotes to be considered not good news and will be removed)

And if it breaks the rules, **Remember to report this post!**

qualityvote2


As a reminder, this subreddit [is for civil discussion.](/r/politics/wiki/index#wiki_be_civil)

In general, be courteous to others. Debate/discuss/argue the merits of ideas, don't attack people. Personal insults, shill or troll accusations, hate speech, any suggestion or support of harm, violence, or death, and other rule violations can result in a permanent ban. 

If you see comments in violation of our rules, please report them.

 For those who have questions regarding any media outlets being posted on this subreddit, please click [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/politics/wiki/approveddomainslist) to review our details as to our approved domains list and outlet criteria.
 
 We are actively looking for new moderators.  If you have any interest in helping to make this subreddit a place for quality discussion, please fill out [this form](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1y2swHD0KXFhStGFjW6k54r9iuMjzcFqDIVwuvdLBjSA).
 

***


*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/politics) if you have any questions or concerns.*

This is the same party that would cry over the government interfering, and now they're strong-arming every possible institution. GOP is the party of government overreach.

Necessary_Grass_2313

Remember when conservatives cried about silencing conservative voices on campus? I do. They are really fucking quiet now.

PBPunch

Trump likes the way this plays to the MAGA base.  He will keep going at Harvard with the goal of closing the university, but he will also begin to target the next university.  The “first they came for…” poem is quite literally the test for higher education in America right now.

CrimsonFeetofKali

If they are willing to go after Harvard like this, how do you think they will treat the rest of us when we refuse to go along with the Christian Nationalist takeover of this country? 

Exciting_Teacher6258

Every single Republican politician that went to Harvard and received the benefit of that diploma should have that diploma. Rescinded. Love how they're silent while the institution that they went to and benefit from is shredded. Fuckers.

randombrosef

Harvard was in existence  long before the US was officially a country.  If Trump thinks he can destroy a sacred institution, he has another thing coming. He is not all-powerful.

Ok_Juice4449

Lol, Trump won't have any leverage left after this.  The opposite a strategic thinker.

Tech_Philosophy

Someone in another thread joked that this is happening because Barron got denied admission. I love that as an urban legend, but really am wondering what REALLY is behind this.

ISeeYouNoThanks

The Wharton school of business should revoke Trump's degree.

protomenace

[deleted]

Imagine if they go after Universities that don’t have the best lawyers in the world.

cruisysuzyhahaha

Harvard doesn't need the money to operate as a school, it needs it to fund research projects. Research for what? What have they discovered? Check [here.](https://hms.harvard.edu/about-hms/history-hms/timeline-discovery)

Highlights over the years: smallpox vaccine, anesthesia, identifying appendicitis, electrocardiograph, iron lung, pap smear, artificial kidney and transplant, oral contraception, limb reattachment, human blood storage, telemedicine, PET scan, MRI, AIDS/HIV treatment, Alzheimer's gene, laser tattoo removal, herpes vaccine, DNA sequencing, rheumatoid arthritis gene, global healthcare budget models, Native American origins, deafness gene therapies, Zika vaccine, microbiome, cancer immunotherapy, and many many more. 

THAT'S the money Trump wants to take away...not the dorms or courses or salaries, he wants Harvard to stop advancing science.

HailFredonia

Why is tRump saying it’s because of antisemitism when tRump accepted the luxury plane from the same people who actually fund the free Palestine protests? Seems like taking a bribe from those who financially support antisemitism is worse than his excuse for going after Harvard.

Potential-Catch4833

They are able to push this against Harvard because so many other universities were weak and caved instantly.  Columbia and Yale set a precedent of bending the knee which emboldened the "Administration" to stick it to Harvard.

I hope Harvard is able to withstand this (they have a large enough endowment) on principle.

PanicSwtchd

When this is all over, Harvard’s decision to stand up to the Nazis will burnish its legacy for centuries to come.

Harvard has been around longer than the United States and will be around longer after Trump is gone. It is making the right decision to stand steadfast to its values for what will ultimately be a momentary blip in its history.

Infidel8

Butthurt doesn’t even begin to describe this action

Astovius

So when Democrats take control back should they make religious universities ineligible for grants and federal student loans?

Fair is fair, right?

AlsoCommiePuddin

I'm pretty sure HVAC tech schools aren't working on genetic cancer research

Inspectorgadget4250

Wait. You're telling me that the guy who was impeached for withholding funds from Ukraine is now doing the same thing to our domestic institutions? I need Susan Collins to help me make sense of this. I was under the impression he learned his lesson.

ArchdruidHalsin

What's pathetic is that the Make America Great Again party is attacking something genuinely great in the US. This is one of the most prestigious universities in the world. It makes me sad that so many Americans are cheering for anti-intellectualism and roll out the carpet for a man whose main concern is protecting whiteness, white privilege, and white comfort.

NeuroTiger

It's high past time to start taxing churches. Governor's should just do it and ignore the courts when they tell them they can't. Fuck this shit, two can play at this game.

walkingpartydog

All of this because his creepy son wasn’t accepted? Jfc

TheJessKiddin

Barron definitely got rejected from Harvard.

berpaderpderp

He’s so fucking pathetic 

I hate republicans 

sabedo

vagabending

He is the most petty pos this Country has seen.

Kire9874

I suspect going after Harvard is the legal equivalent of "never start a fight with a man who buys printer ink by the barrel".

FanDry5374

dirtyvu

Petulant child for a president. Good Lord.

back2basics13

Trump is crazy like Hitler, North Korea's Supreme Ruler Kim Jong-Un, Vlad the Impaler, Caligula, Christopher Columbus, Stalin and Pol Pot. Well, I may be over-exaggerating, but I made my point. He's sick, sick, mother-fucking **SICK!!**

invalidpassword

Turnaround is fair game... So in 3.5 years, we can look forward to every religious based university in the country losing its accreditation and its right to federal student loans. Also, tax them....

A boy can dream right?  Nah, we know the Dems are too cowardice to do this...

I don't know about you guys, but I like American leaders who go after say, dictators in enemy states like Putin, instead of attacking... checks notes... domestic colleges???    The war on education is to make the masses more gullible, illiterate, and willing to vote for these criminals again.

neutronia939

Under the Trump administration, Cancer wins!

Pettifoggerist

Good thing Harvard isn’t a government agency isn’t it? I’m sure that will be Trump‘s next step. Nationalize the universities. But don’t worry it’s only communist if it helps the workers.

walksonfourfeet

TheJaybo

How long before we find out drump got rejected from Harvard when he was 17

apsae27

Man I keep hearing how Communist and anti freedom and regulatory Democrats are all the time but Republicans just love being Communist, Authoritarian fucks. Soon they'll demand businesses to obey the government and no longer be independently owned so they can enforce anti LGBTQ BS or bring back Jim Crow except with all businesses under Trumps thumb. Trump can't wait to own everything and force everyone to carry out his demands. Think he'll stop at schools? This is just the beginning. Soon these MAGAs will lose their businesses to Trumps gestapo goons who will force them to carry out his economic business plan because he is the all knowing god for business and his plan will save us or some other BS excuse. Fucking hate my countrymen.

redblade13

20 January 2029 will be known around the world as Liberation and Democracy Day. If we are lucky, this celebration will fall on an earlier date.

mirandolo

It would not be a stretch of the imagination to think that the "Founding Fathers" would be appalled by this overreach of executive authority and how the GQP Congress has completely capitulated to their "king".

cors8

manfromfuture

He's pissed because Baron Trump got rejected to Harvard.

alwaystired707

I hope all the Harvard educated lawyers team up and go after this administration. That would be powerful.

Ambitious_Low5650

If the admin is hell bent on cost cutting maybe they do not need our taxes anymore and the people refrain from paying them

OlorinRidesAgain

Small government conservatism in action yet again folks.

theclansman22

cosmicdreams

I wonder how politically targeting Harvard will go in the courts. It didn't work out well for Disney vs DeSantis.

DoctorSchwifty

ProfessorDerp22

Such a nasty man.  He's hell- bent on destroying people's lives.  Such negative energy.

This is a tilt at the old money Mafia. Wonder if this ends up being the fatal move in the long run for Shitler

GiordanoBruno23

So our countries flagship institution that didn’t accept him 

PoemIcy2625

Harvard and georgetown grad chris rufo likely spearheading this — getting harvard to oust claudine gay was the primer. [https://christopherrufo.com/p/inside-harvards-discrimination-machine](https://christopherrufo.com/p/inside-harvards-discrimination-machine) 

Says the university has adopted race-conscious hiring policies, potentially in violation of civil rights law.

Huge_Excitement4465

If Harvard is backed into a corner and Trump is actually in the position to take them down then they should just outright say they don't have to take orders from a pedophile. At that point what is there to lose?

newbrevity

There is no legitimate reason to cut Harvard funding trump is just a petty manbaby

Cool-Presentation538

A federal court case is in progress concerning Harvard University's challenge against the Trump administration over $2.5 billion in federal funding cuts, deemed unconstitutional by Harvard.

Trump Administration vs. Harvard Funding Cuts

Why This Matters

Public Sentiment Summary

Highlighted Comments

Parties Involved

What the people want